


Protocol

by Savanna (orphan_account)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Fluff and Angst, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Iron Family, Morgan Stark is a sweetheart, Other, Pepper Potts as Rescue, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Canon, Protective Pepper Potts, Protective Peter Parker, Tony Stark Feels, i dont know how to start stories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-05-31 10:39:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19424293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Savanna
Summary: Tony Stark may be gone, but the Stark name was going to continue on.Or, Peter gets saved by 'Stark', but it isn't exactly who he expected.





	Protocol

**Author's Note:**

> Literally so difficult to write a story when the two main characters names' start with the same letter ;-;
> 
> So I'm gonna have to call Pepper by her first name Virginia, I really hope that you all don't mind too much!

When Peter came to, he couldn't process exactly where he was. He processed perfectly, though, the burning pain in his stomach and at the back of his head. He was also laying uncomfortably atop some items with prickly and poky edges, some of which had pierced through his suit. Wherever he was, it was dark and his eyes refused to adjust to it as he craned his neck to look around.

"K-Karen?"

The eyes in his suit suddenly lit up, the holographic word 'rebooting' displayed across his vision. Data about his heart rate and injuries appeared in the top right corner while a map of the area appeared in the left. The suit's night vision was enabled, and Peter could then see the large metal beam that pinned him to the ground. For a few moments the displays glitched, but quickly returned to normal.

"Peter, you've received a blow to your head. I need you to answer some questions for me, okay?"

"What?" Peter grunted. He tried to sit up but the beam pinched his torso so he laid back down. He craned his neck to look around him, seeing a large area where the roof of the building had collapsed, revealing the stars in the sky. There wasn't much inside the building except rubble and old office desks, but as he looked at them he began to remember what had happened.

"What is your name?" Karen asked.

Peter's eyebrows furrowed. "Where is he?! Where's the guy-" He sat up and dug his fingers under the beam, and strained to lift it up. The thing was solid steel and nearly two feet wide, and Peter was quickly using all his strength to lift it. When it didn't budge enough for him to get his legs out from under it, he strained even further until he was gritting his teeth.

"Peter, you need to remain calm. I'm required to ask you these questions and we cannot proceed until you answer them."

"He got away?" Peter asked her, but it was really just to confirm what he already knew. He strained even harder and tried to twist himself out from under the beam but could not. Maybe if he had the Iron Spider, he could use the legs to help level himself, but he had only the red and black suit from when Fury recruited him last summer. "It's night, how long have I been out?"

Karen hesitated, then dropped the questions. "It's been a few hours. He's certainly resigned somewhere for now, off the grid." Karen pulled up for him some more data. "You've strained yourself too much, I'm going to get you some help."

"What, the police? I'm going to be here for hours, I can't wait, I have to find him! He won't stop at just one city, even if he got spooked he'll come back or go somewhere else!" Peter moved his hands farther under the beam and lifted with all his might, ignoring the rising levels and red warning sign.

Karen nearly sighed. Then: "Issuing the Stark Rescue protocol."

Peter faltered at that. He had checked everything in this suit, and that protocol hadn't shown up anywhere. Had the same protocol been in his old suits? What did the protocol mean?

The only thing that told him the protocol had been issued was a small signal in the corner of his vision, almost like a WiFi icon. Peter stared at it as it blinked, and he stopped pushing himself to try and lift the beam. 

"Stark will be here shortly," came Karen's gentle, almost-motherly voice. 

Peter laid back, and quietly scoffed. "Did you break when I fell down here?" He mumbled. "...He isn't coming."

"No," Karen agreed. "He isn't. It's a family protocol, so it's whoever's next in line. Which," She put up a familiar looking suit on screen, " 'Pepper' Stark is."

_"Will you promise to be there?" Morgan asked him, holding the tablet up as she ran through the hallway towards the kitchen. "Mommy hired a professional baker for the cake, and it's our favorite flavor!" She smiled brightly at him, then at her mother who was in the kitchen making them sandwiches. "I can't wait to see what presents you get me!"_

_"Morgan," Virginia warned from off-screen. She then moved to be in-shot of the camera. "Hi Pete, it's good to see you. Morgan's been restless for days; I wish Tony hadn't made 'birthday week' a thing." She laughed quietly to herself. "We can't really invite many of her friends over," she confessed as she ran her hand through Morgan's hair, "for security reasons- so I really hope you can swing by. And as she said the cake's chocolate, your and Morgan's favorite." She gave him a look, one that said 'I know I am just as bad as my daughter for bribing you'. "If Happy hasn't already, you can invite your aunt to come too."_

_"Uh, well I'll think about it," Peter replied. "Um, I have to hold up Queens, y'know, so..."_

_Morgan pouted, and Virginia bent to kiss her forehead. She looked back at the camera."You're always welcome here," she reminded him._

_Peter swallowed. "...I know. I'll try, take a look at my calendar, look at some crime statistics, uh..." He trailed off, forced a smile. "Anyway, happy birthday, kiddo."_

_Morgan smiled shyly. "Thanks."_

Peter looked at the suit on his screen, the purple color and slim design really the only differences from Tony's other suits. He realized the adrenaline had faded, and that pain was settling in. If there had been any wounds, his healing factor had taken care of them, but the healing couldn't completely stop the pains. "Karen?" He asked.

"She'll be here any moment," she assured him.

On cue, there was a high-pitched sound of a charging repulsor, and then a blast that cleared a hole in the bottom floor of the building. In just a moment Virginia had reached the upstairs, carefully pushing rubble aside that blocked the door and lined the path to him. She saw him atop some rubble, and the beam that had fallen across him. "Peter!" She flew over the part of the beam that blocked her way, and landed beside him. "You're okay, Pete, everything's fine." She inspected the beam for a moment. "I'm going to cut it off on this end, and then pull you out."

"What? It's at least two feet thick, it-"

"Don't worry about that," she replied. Immediately parts of the suit detached from the back and moved to line up with the beam. They charged up, and then the parts all formed one laser that cut into the steel. "This can cut through Vibranium, given enough time," she yelled over the noise of the laser. "Tony always accounts for everything."

Sure enough, within about 45 seconds the beam had been cut clean through, which lifted some of the weight from off Peter. Virginia quickly moved to the front of him as the parts returned to her suit. "I'll lift it, you slide out, okay? One...Two...Three!" Aided with mini repulsors that faced the opposite way to help pull, she lifted the beam high enough. Peter quickly scrambled out of the way, collapsing onto the floor. She then let the beam drop, where it fell and settled on some broken slabs of concrete.

Virginia stepped over some of the rubble and held out a hand to help him stand up. Her suit did some scans, and she quickly stopped him from trying to walk. "You're too hurt. I'll call Happy, he's in the area."

"Sounds fine by me," Peter admitted, his body feeling too light to walk straight, not to mention his aching muscles. "I'm- I'm gonna sit down for a moment-" He promptly collapsed again.

\- - -

They all shared a glance between each other. Peter, laying on the couch across from Happy and May, briefly rubbed his temples and then cut through the silence. "Should I ask why you two were together again?"

May leaned forward to take charge and explain. "Well, we work together Peter. I had a lot to get done this week so Happy said he'd stop by and help." She pursed her lips, "Shouldn't I be asking you why you were at an old office building in the middle of nowhere?" 

"You didn't see it on the news?" Peter asked.

" _We_ did," Happy said. "It was on the city's newstation, but it's a small city so it hasn't reached main media yet."

Peter looked away from Happy and down at his arms and torso. He could still feel the aching pain in his muscles, and despite wanting to lay there all morning long until he felt better, he sat upright. He felt blessed that they weren't asking him questions about it, or were at least putting the questions off until later. He didn't want to say anything until he had found the super-villain again, which might be a while when he had no leads.

He heard footsteps, one pair brisk and the other pair totally frantic. Just as he was matching up the steps to the person, Morgan came darting from the hallway to the living room they were in, still wearing her pj's. "Spidey!!" She yelled, and hopped up into his lap before Virginia could stop her. Peter grunted and held her up so she wouldn't fall off the couch. Morgan lifted an eyebrow, "You're hurt?"

"You're just that strong," he said with a smile. "Look what you've done, I don't think I can even lift you." He pretended to try and lift her up with all his might, and when he gave up Morgan laughed and smirked victoriously. 

"It's payback!" Morgan said, crossing her arms and smiling up at him. "You missed the chocolate cake last week. I ate it all and now I'm stronger than anyone! The Hulk, even!"

Peter chuckled, "Yes you are, kiddo."

Virginia intervened, then, "Morgan honey, why don't you go get some breakfast, aright? Maybe waffles? You can have as much syrup as you'd like."

Morgan's eyes lit up and she rushed down the hallway again.

Virginia sighed fondly. "Sorry, Pete. She's up early and doesn't know what to do about it." She gestured, "Are you feeling any better? I can see if there's any IcyHots or something."

Peter shook his head. "I'm fine, thanks. It doesn't hurt too bad anymore."

She nodded and took a seat in the armchair. When she knew that Morgan wasn't going to rush back in, she turned herself towards him; "I heard the man got away. Are you going to go after him?"

Peter nodded. "I have to. He's not going to stop unless I do."

Virginia glanced at May who seemed a little stressed now. "We're here to help. I'm sure Happy could babysit while I go with you, or-"

Peter quickly shook his head. "No, that's alright. It's my responsibility, I'm the one who provoked him anyway. Plus, I-" He hesitated for a moment, unsure. "...Er, plus I don't think Mr. Stark would approve of that."

"The kid's right," Happy commented. He didn't say anything more, but they all knew what Happy was thinking.

Virginia nodded in understanding. "Well he wouldn't approve of you going out there like this. The guest room has a shower for you, and I can make you breakfast. You should get some rest, too."

Peter stood up and picked up his suit and mask from where it laid on the coffee table. He looked down at it. "Actually, can I repair my suit first? It's got a little damage."

"Sure. The lab's in the garage."

He headed down to the garage by himself, looking at the house as he went. It was much smaller than the Avengers compound that had long since been put up for sale. In other words, it was a lot more like a home, and Peter liked it. Not surprisingly, the garage was almost as big as the house, but there was so much stuff that it almost needed to be. The Rescue suit and an old War Machine suit were in the corner by the closed garage door, and there was space for cars to enter and exit.

Several tables were in the center of the room, and although the contents on them were organized, the tables still took up a lot of space and some boxes were on the floor between them. Behind them several yards were four cars. To the left of the tables was a wall that had a holographic display built in, the adjacent wall hosting several cabinets, and in front of them sat a few machines and tools.

Peter recognized Dum-E in the corner, sorting things into a box and making his own kind of chatter every now and then.

Despite all the times he was invited, he had never gone to their home before, and he began to wonder why. Well, it was because of Tony, but now Peter wondered what exactly he had feared. Too much of Tony, maybe? But, that wasn't the case. The house was Morgan and Virginia's home, and was filled with just as many things about them as there were about Tony. Peter could see things in the garage even, like a stool that was taller than the others so Morgan could easily interact with the tables' contents whenever she wanted to. And, one of the cars was clearly Virginia's, still very expensive looking but more casual to take Morgan to school or wherever they needed to go.

The house was balanced, and Peter appreciated it. Back on vacation, Tony had been everywhere and Peter hadn't been able to focus on anything else. It was simply nice to be able to focus on his own things while not getting caught up by the past unless he felt that he needed to. Like now, the balance of using Tony's tech and past advice to find the location of the missing super-villain on his hands, or using it to fix the holes in his suit and the small bugs in Karen's software. He was able to realize that Tony was there with him through these things, not as Iron Man and as someone he had to try his hardest to be, but as a man who was his mentor and as someone he could learn from.

As Peter used the holographic display on the wall, he noticed a picture of Tony with his family that hung beside it. Peter got up to look at the picture more closely, of them all smiling in matching clothes of purple and gold. Suddenly, he felt bad about the distance he had put between himself and them; that they might have viewed it not as Peter trying to get away from too much time dwelling on Tony, but as Peter wanting to be away from them as Tony's family.

"I'll take care of them from now on," Peter told Tony. "Though, they seem to be doing just fine. They had to take care of me, actually...But I guess that's just what family does."

"Spidey!" Morgan called from the side door. "Breakfast is ready! Come eat with us!"

Peter smiled, setting his suit down for just a moment. He not only deserved this moment, but knew that everyone upstairs deserved it too. "You better run or I'll steal all your food!" He teased, and laughed as Morgan sprinted to the kitchen yelling.

And, by the time he had finished his brief visit, word had spread and the police had already apprehended the villain. Peter almost viewed it as a break, or a blessing from someone somewhere.


End file.
